It's Time
by Irishchicatee
Summary: Sam and Jack making the decision to be together. Please review


Based on the deleted scene from Trio, the one were Keller and Sam are making small talk. You know the one with the line "it's complicated". Anyway I always wondered what she really meant and well this idea has been floating around. My take is that Carter and O'Neill made their feelings for each other clear at the end of season eight(fishing) that they wanted to be together but were still in the chain of command and until that changed, his retiring, they wouldn't enter into a relationship. Please review, it's been YEARS since I've written anything, so all feedback is welcome just be constructive. You can also find my stories under Irishchick.

Set in current time frame, O'Neill in Washington and Carter on the Hammond.

Samantha Carter stood on front of the mirror in the bathroom of her quarters on board the General Hammond. They'd just gotten through a skirmish with the Lucian Alliance and were finally headed home to earth for the first time in six months. Sam stood back from the mirror deciding that the light fixed above it, casting shadows over her face, wasn't doing her any favours. She stared at herself for a moment, she noticed there were a few more fine lines than before; the dark circles under her eyes looked …..darker.

The person staring back looked tired and older than she remembered. Samantha reached for her uniform jacket and done up the brass buttons. She was due to brief the Joint Chiefs and the President as soon as the Hammond was in orbit. Sam fixed a few stray hairs into place and took one final look at herself, smoothing her dress uniform down as she went. She reached forward and flicked the light off. "Much better" she said to her reflection.

Jack O'Neill sat at his desk staring at the pen in his hand. It had been six months since he'd seen Samantha Carter, six months of him worrying sick. He worried about everyone under his command but on a level of 1 to 10 his worry factor had always hovered around 9 with her. He knew he was being silly; she was one of the most capable officers he'd ever served with, had a wealth of knowledge he didn't even want to try to understand and was an excellent leader. Yet he worried.

"Excuse me sir" Walter said as quietly as he could from the door way.

Jack raised his eyes to were Walter stood. "Yes Walter".

"Sir the Hammond is in Orbit"

"Thank you Walter"

Jack sat for a moment, fiddling with the pen that was still in his hands. He was fed up. This thing they had was just that, a thing; well not quiet a thing, more like an inkling of a thing. If he was quiet honest he was tired of the whole…thing. Were they, weren't they, would they, wouldn't they. Yeah pretty fed up with their lack of situation. They'd never made promises as such, when she'd dumped Pete, it was pretty obvious. They'd spent the weekend with the guys at his cabin and left with an understanding that they would be together. Eventually.

As long as Carter had her own command, she would report to him. She would always be in his direct line of command and their situation would never change. He'd been the one to recommend her for Atlantis and then for the command on the General Hammond. If he didn't know himself any better he'd think he'd subconsciously set out to sabotage them. That wasn't the case though, he'd recommended her for the posts because she was the best and she deserved it. He pushed to his feet and put on his uniform jacket as Walter walked in.

"Time to go Sir"

"Yes Walter it is"

Sam sat in the briefing room at the White House, no matter how many times she'd been here over the years it never stopped giving her a thrill. She'd been here for ten minutes waiting, every time she heard a noise from outside her eyes darted towards the door. She felt nervous, anxious. The feeling puzzled her. How many briefings had she delivered over the years? Ok so maybe they weren't all to the President and Joint Chiefs but she'd done this before so why the butterflies. Then the reasons for her nervousness opened the door.

"Carter"

"Sir"

For a brief moment it was just the two of them, staring.

"Col Carter"

"General Smith" Carter greeted and saluted as the other chiefs entered the room.

Everyone found their spot at the table with the Joint Chiefs and Jack sitting towards the top of the table leaving the seat at the head free for the president. Sam took her seat at the other end facing the president. She noted that General O'Neill had taken the seat to the left of the president. Just as they had settled in, the door opened and the president came in. They all jumped up to greet him and he beckoned them to take their seats, making apologies for his tardiness while taking his seat.

"So let's get started shall we, Col Carter, why don't you give us a brief overview" The president met her eyes and smiled.

Carter had delivered her report of the last six months. It had been conscience and to the point. He was for once relieved that the president and the other joint Chiefs had so many questions otherwise they would have been out of here half an hour ago. Then what? The last time she had been in Washington was just after she'd returned from Atlantis, she'd briefed them just like today, got reassigned and went to work prepping the Hammond for it's first mission so they hadn't the chance to be alone. He knew Carter had three weeks down time, would she expect to see him, would she want to? Should he ask her out, lunch, dinner maybe? He'd tried his best to not make eye contact with her, which was why he sat right beside the president, General Lynch would have to lean right back in his chair for him to get a good luck at her and the less time he spent staring at Carter the better.

He listened while she spoke; he missed that, her voice. They way the pitch of her voice changed when she got excited about something. She was describing the nebula the Hammond had spent a couple of weeks studying. Then Lynch leaned back. She was looking at the president who had foolishly asked her to explain some nebula thingy to him. As if on queue she turned her attention to him and met his eyes. Had she always been this beautiful he wondered. She held his gaze a little longer than was probably appropriate before turning her attention to Lynch who had sat forward to ask her something. Finally a knock came to the door and the Presidents aid nodded to him. The President called an end to the meeting and made his way to the door, the other joint chiefs closed over their folders and made their way out, some making small talk with her as they left Then they were gone. Sam moved back towards the table and started to collect her files. Jack picked up his folder and walked the length of the table towards her. She looked up at him

"So" was all he could muster

"So" she smiled at him but it wasn't her usual dazzler

"Wanna grab a coffee?"

"I can't, I have another commitment"

Ouch, was she blowing him off?

"I'm free this evening though, if you wanna have something to eat"

"Yeah sure sounds good" .really good a whole dinner, that's gotta be a two hours of Carter time he thought to himself

"Ok well I'll come over to yours say eight and we can decide what to get then"

"Ok great well eh see ya then"

"Yeah" and she was gone. Jack stood for a moment. "Crap". She was coming over to his for dinner, they weren't going to be in a room full of people where he had to be appropriate instead they would be alone and he really did and didn't want to be alone with Carter.

From 7.45 on he paced. In and out of rooms, up and down, up and down. Checking the wine and beer were still in the fridge and hadn't escaped through the open window with the chips and dips he'd put in the press earlier, he let out a sigh. "Stop being stupid" he told himself. He was worried, she'd seemed off earlier. He put it down to tiredness, six months was a long tour for anyone. But maybe she was coming over to tell him that it was time to give it up, forget it and move on. Was that the reason she wanted to see him alone so she wouldn't have to break his heart in public. Nice.

Nothing had really changed between them, they still couldn't be together and technically it probably wasn't best practice for her to be coming here alone to have dinner with him in his apartment. Then the doorbell went and he jumped. He mentally tried to calm himself and walked to the front door of his apartment. He pulled the door open and took in the vision standing before him. Her blond hair was longer than he remembered and fell perfectly, as far as he was concerned, around her face and down onto her shoulders. She was wearing a pretty blue tea dress, emphasising her perfect, as far as he was concerned, body. She smiled up at him as their eyes met and suddenly everything seemed right in the world. After all this time she could still do that to him.

"Come on in" Jack stood back from the door to let her passed and as she did he inhaled the light perfume she was wearing.

Sam made her way into his living room, dropping her bag on the sofa while Jack headed to the kitchen.

"You want beer or wine?" Jack called out.

"Eh beer please" Jack jumped as the voice came from closer than expected. He looked out from behind the fridge door to see Sam standing in the doorway.

"Nice place" she motioned around the room with her hand.

"Yeah its ok I guess, if your into the whole apartment living"

"And your not" she asked him while taking the beer out of his hand. For a second their fingers touch and to Sam it felt electric. Was it always like this she wondered?

"No, I mean it's a nice place, good for commuting to work and a couple of good take outs and bars but it's not exactly…"

"You, yeah I don't think I can see you here barbequing on the balcony" she said smiling at him from were she stood in the door way, her hip resting against the hard wood of the door frame. "Do you think you'll stay here", his eyes flicked to hers as she asked the question, a lot more loaded than she had intended, "in this apartment" taking a sip of her beer.

Jack walked from were he'd been standing by his fridge to the doorway and stood over her slightly "I hope not" His eyes were fixed on hers. He brushed passed Sam into the living room and walked over to open a drawer in the TV unit pulling out a pile of take out menus.

"So what do you fancy eating" when he turned around she was still standing in the doorway that separate the kitchen and living room.

"Why are we doing this" she asked as he placed the menus on the coffee table on front of the sofa.

"Because we're hungry and too lazy to cook", he shot the remark out but knew quiet well that wasn't what she was talking about. He just needed to give himself a minute and her a get out if she needed one. She wasn't laughing.

"Don't do that, please" Sam moved from the door way into the living room and sat on one end of the sofa. Jack moved from were he was standing to occupy the other end of the sofa, careful to keep a safe distance. They sat in silence for a moment, he watched her and waited. This was her show, she'd attempted to bring up the forbidden conversation and he sure as hell wasn't going to get the ball rolling.

"You know for the first time today I realised something" her voice barely more than a whisper, like she was taking to herself and he just happened to be there.

"Oh" taking a swing from his beer.

"I'm tired", she gave him a half hearted smile and turned her attention to the TV that wasn't on.

"You've had a long tour, it's expected and before that you".

"No", she cut him off, "I mean yes physically I'm tired but I'm tired of this" she gestured at the space between them.

"Oh" Jack shifted in his seat so that he was looking directly at her.

"Is that as much as your going to contribute" her tone a little sharp

"What do you want me to say sam?"

She turned to look at him and held his gaze; she wasn't going to back down. Now or never, do or die.

"I want you to tell me its time"

Jack put the last few items in the box sitting on his coffee table, well technically it wasn't his coffee table, the place had been furnished when he moved in so there wasn't that much to take with him. He took one last look around and decided that he definitely wouldn't miss the place. He walked over to the window and watched the removal guy load up his small truck. His time in Washington was over and while he'd miss being involved day to day in Homeworld Security, the only reason the President had accepted his resignation was that he would be act as adviser to him on request. Not a bad deal as far as he was concerned, in the loop but yet not. The passed six months had breezed by one averted disaster after another but yesterday he officially hung up his tags .He was done, he was going with her back to Nevada, were maybe they'd actually have a life, both out of the firing line, safe for now. He heard her familiar foot steps coming up behind him drawing him from his thoughts. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms in around his waist. He placed his own hands over hers and they just stood there for a moment until she whispered in his ear.

"Its time"

He turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently kissing her forehead.

"Yes it is"

The End.


End file.
